On Monday, January 15, 2024, President Pavel started a three-day trip to the Middle East in Israel. The trip was planned for a long time, President Pavel received the invitation to Israel shortly after his election as president. He started his visit with a meeting with the President of Israel, Yitzchak Herzog , with whom he talked about the security situation in the country and assistance to Palestinian civilians. Due to the long-term strategic partnership between the two countries, business cooperation and the future of relations were also a big topic.
“I am happy to say that the Czech Republic considers Israel not only a friend but also a strategic partner. We stand in solidarity with your right to fight terrorism and defend your population, but at the same time we care about civilian victims, because civilians on both sides have the same right to be protected, and that is why we are concerned about the level of humanitarian aid and access to humanitarian aid,” said President Pavel after meeting with President Herzog. President Pavel also met with the Speaker of the Knesset, Amir Ochana, and with the member of the war cabinet and the chairman of the National Unity Bloc, Benny Gantz, who served as the alternate prime minister in 2020-2021. He also held talks with current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At the press conference, President Pavel announced that the Czech Republic has decided to send a total of ten million crowns for humanitarian aid, five million for aid to Palestinian civilians, and five million for Israeli medical organizations.
President Petr Pavel met with the families of the kidnapped hostages in the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz and visited the Austrian Pilgrimage Hospice at the Holy Family in Jerusalem.
The second day of the official visit to Israel was started by the President of the Republic, Petr Pavel, on his way to the Erez military base, which was affected by the terrorist attacks of October 7 last year. He met Lt. Col. Amnon Shefler here. The main topic of the meeting was the distribution of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
After that, the president of the republic discussed with the leadership of the Israel National Cyber Directorate, among other things, the cyber dimension of the war. The meeting was accompanied by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of cyber cooperation, which was signed by the director of NÚKIB, Lukáš Kintr, on behalf of the Czech side.
“The signing of this memorandum places us in an elite group of states that deal with cyber security at a top level. Here, too, we had the opportunity to see how dramatically cyber attacks have increased since October 7, not only against Israeli institutions but also against other states that express support for Israel in any way. I am glad that I could see it with my own eyes, because I can get a real picture not only of the situation related to humanitarian aid, but also of the situation related to cyber security, and therefore the security of all of us,” said the President of the Republic after the meeting at the press briefing.
President Pavel also addressed the topic of cyber security in the afternoon during a tour of the cyber security operations center.
In parallel with the program of the President of the Republic, the program of the business delegation accompanying him on the state visit was also taking place, including, for example, representatives of the Union of Industry and Transport of the Czech Republic, the Association of Manufacturers and Suppliers of Medical Devices, the Association of Companies of the Czech Railway Industry, the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry or cyber security companies CyWeTa.
The President of the Republic continued his trip to the Middle East on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, flying from Israel to Qatar. The main point of his agenda was a meeting with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Sani in his palace. The topic was the role of Qatar in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but above all the cooperation between the two states, for example in the fields of energy, defense, and tourism.
“Qatar is one of the countries in the region with which it is important to have a dialogue because they are able to moderate sensitive issues and are inclined to have individual states communicate more with each other and try to find common solutions, which is definitely in our interest,” said President Pavel at the press briefing after the meeting.
President Pavel also met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah.
He visited the traditional marketplace in Doha and at the Czech embassy, which has been operating in the country since 2022, he met with Czech compatriots who have been living in Qatar for a long time.
foto: Zuzana Bönisch